The moment I became a mom I crossed over onto the island of parenthood, of which there is no return. It’s one of those situations we dive into and just hope everything turns out ok. I’d say so far it has. For the most part.

Being the documentarian I am, I wanted to have that milestone on camera (both times!). Maybe not in all my flashy gorey glory but the sweet moment, once my newborn reached my arms. My husband was totally against it however, so the first time my photographer and friend came to take pictures a few hours later. The second time I convinced him to let a photographer join us the entire time, and I’m so happy with the results.

When I was pregnant with my son, I took pictures of my baby bump from the get-go. This time full on with a timer and tripod–a DSLR selfie, versus into the mirror like before. I think it set a precedent of being in the picture with my kids.

It’s fairly evident that I love taking photos of my children. Taking pictures of my kids is fun, but taking pictures with my kids brings a whole different kind of gratification. There’s nothing like having that tangible proof that I was a part of those everyday milestones.

Of course I could hand the camera over to my husband. And when I’m in a hurry I’ll do that. But usually I prefer to set up and take the picture myself, as I envision it, whenever I want just as I’d do if I were standing behind the camera.

Taking self-portraits is not hard once you have a system down. I like to use one of my DSLRs with wifi. Usually my Canon EOS Rebel T6i or my EOS 70D.

In order to take the photo I use either a flat surface around eye level when we’re sitting, or I’ll set up my tripod if I have more time. I think it’s easier to show you versus tell you how I do it, so here a quick video tutorial for how I make it work. Please excuse my rambunctious kiddos.

As mothers, many of us try our best to take pictures of our kids to remember their childhood, but it’s also important that we take the time to get in front of the camera as well. Even if we don’t have our makeup on, or are still in our yoga pants. It’s the day-to-day milestones I’d like to remember being a part of. Like finishing Harry Potter with my daughter.

Goofing off in the backyard together.

Or morning snuggles.

Taking the time to be in a few frames will be something I never regret and you won’t either.

When choosing what camera to start with I highly recommend getting one with Wi-Fi! Here’s a quick list of Canon DSLRs with Wi-Fi. The ones highlighted are cameras I used for photos in this post:

Canon EOS Rebel T6
Canon EOS Rebel T6i
Canon EOS Rebel T6s
Canon EOS 70D
Canon EOS 80D
Canon EOS 6D

*I love capturing milestones and special moments with my kids, which is why I partnered with Canon on this post. All opinions are my own.

Tags: dslr selfie, photography tips, self portrait photography tips